Mohun Bagan placed in AFC Champions League Two group with Qatari giants Al-Wakrah SC

The Mariners will look to qualify for the knockout rounds with tough teams in their group.

Mohun Bagan have been placed in Group A of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Two group stages after the draw was finalized on Friday (August 16). The Mariners have been pitted alongside Qatari side Al-Wakrah, Iran club Tractor S.C and Tajikistan side Ravshan Kulob.

What can be expected from Mohun Bagan’s opponents in the group?

This will be the first time the Mariners play in the newly-remodeled ACL Two competition. But, it’ll be a formidable battle for the Kolkata heavyweights to get out of their group due to the competition from some prominent continental opposition.

Al-Wakrah are arguably Mohun Bagan’s toughest opposition in this group and favourites to top Group A too. The Qatari side finished in fourth place in the Qatar Stars League last season to earn a place in the ACL Two. They have won the Qatari top division twice in their history and also won the 2024 Qatar Cup, defeating Al-Sadd in the final.

Al-Wakrah are blessed with several quality players, including players from the Qatar national team. The likes of defender Lucas Mendes and Abdelkarim Hassan have represented the national team for many years, with the latter retiring in 2022 after having made over 100 international appearances.

Mohun Bagan will also face stiff competition from Irani club Tractor SC. They might’ve finished in fourth place in the 2023-24 Iran Pro League, but have a lot of firepower in their team.

Tractor SC have many Iran national team players, including explosive forward Mehdi Torabi, experienced defender Shojae Khalilzadeh and esteemed goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (who famously saved Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty at the 2018 FIFA World Cup).

Ravshan Kulob will also be no pushovers in Group A. They finished as runners-up in the Tajikistan Higher League last season and have plenty of AFC Cup experience, having played 17 matches in the competition before it was restructured to become the AFC Champions League Two.

When will Mohun Bagan kickoff their ACL Two campaign?

The Mariners will be kicking off their 2024-25 AFC Champions League Two group campaign in September. The first match will be either on 17 or 18 September, with the entire fixture list to be confirmed soon.

Mohun Bagan will also have two AFC Champions League Two group matches in October. There will be two ACL 2 games in November and the final group game will be on 3rd or 4th December. The format of the ACL 2 group stages means that every team will play each other twice (at home and away) and play six group games in total.

This means the Mariners will play three matches at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata and the rest of the three at the home stadiums of their opposition. The top two teams from each group at the end of the six matchdays will be progressing into the knockout rounds. The Mariners will have to be at their absolute best to punch above their weight in the AFC Champions League Two.

They face some formidable opposition from top Asian football countries, but Jose Molina will hope that the quality of his foreign players and experienced domestic stars can pop a few surprises and push their way to the knockout rounds.

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